The PC market saw a shift recently as Microsoft focused on promoting Qualcomm’s new Arm-based processors for AI-powered PCs. The new chips are featured in Microsoft’s Surface devices and other laptops from major PC manufacturers. These Qualcomm processors are the only ones in the market currently with sufficient AI power to meet Microsoft’s Copilot+ PC requirement, which includes a neural processing unit capable of 40 trillion operations per second and 16 gigabytes of RAM.
These Copilot+ PCs come with AI-powered features like text-to-image conversion, webcam filters, and live captions with translations. However, a feature called Recall, which takes screenshots of activities, was delayed due to privacy and security concerns. Despite Microsoft’s support for Qualcomm chips, reviews have been underwhelming, with critics finding the AI-powered features to be lackluster compared to existing offerings in the market.
While Qualcomm may have had a slight advantage with the Copilot+ exclusivity, competition is looming with AMD set to launch its Ryzen AI chips soon, and Intel preparing to launch its Lunar Lake chips later this year. The current AI features built into Windows may seem like gimmicks, but as AI processors become more advanced, they are expected to provide more value for users over time.
Intel’s absence in the Copilot+ PC market may not significantly impact its position, as the company is working on developing chips with better AI processing capabilities. Both Intel and AMD are expected to offer powerful AI-enabled CPUs in the near future, making the AI-powered PC market more competitive.
In conclusion, while AI has the potential to revolutionize how people use computers, current AI features in PCs may be seen as marketing gimmicks. As technology advances, AI processors are expected to enhance user experiences and productivity. However, it will take time for these advancements to become mainstream. In the meantime, both Intel and AMD are gearing up to offer competitive AI-enabled CPUs to meet the evolving demands of the market.
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https://finance.yahoo.com/news/microsofts-ai-pc-snub-wont-112000614.html